What is personalized medicine?

The world of medicine, especially spine care, has changed completely in the last ten years. Everyone has something they market; lasers, stem cells, or smaller incisions. It is confusing for everyone but even more confusing if you are in severe pain and just want relief.

Let’s talk…

If you get down to the nitty-gritty, almost all the surgeries offered are very similar to each other. The goal is to decompress a nerve in the least invasive way possible so the changes to the spine are minimal. What are not similar is how the patients are vetted, treated and followed up on.

At ShimSpine, you are treated as an individual. You meet the actual person doing the surgery (Dr. Shim) and get to review your exam and films with him.

You will meet his clinical team, Jason Mazza and Cathie Nicholson. They will be part of your care from the minute you walk into the office and are always available for any questions or observations.

You will know that Dr. Shim has no ownership in any Surgery Centers or hospitals so he does not profit from where and when he does surgery. He has no quotas to reach so therefore this appointment is about you, not getting another body through the door.

If you need surgery, Dr. Shim, Jason and Cathie will be with you, and your family, through the whole experience. You will never feel alone and your family will be updated frequently throughout surgery.

You will be educated. We will only do surgery on someone who understands what we are doing and why we are doing it.

You will get the smallest surgery that is available to treat your problem. No big fusions for small problems; no months of recovery; no “what have I done?” the week after surgery.

You will be followed after surgery. With frequent phone calls and appointments, we want to know how you are doing. You will be able to contact one of us at any time.

You will not be getting continuous bills. We will give you the price of everything ahead of time. The only thing that can possibly change is if you use your health insurance for the hospital or tests. All prices of MRI’s and hospitals have been pre-negotiated for you and are very reasonable.

This is your only Spine. We will treat it like it was ours… that’s personalized medicine.

Article by Catherine Nicholson based on over 30 years as a Registered Nurse and 15 years as a practice manager in a spine practice.

Last modified: December 11, 2020